October 6, 2020 • 34 mins
Building an ICONIC Culture that Stands the Test of Time
Episode #7
Own it! Live it! Love it! There’s nothing more important than your company's culture. In this podcast episode, John and Calvin discuss how to build an ICONIC culture that stands the test of time. They'll leverage one of the four ICONIC Framework quadrants as the foundation for defining your culture, developing values and beliefs and defending what you've built.
Whether your company has been operating for years or you're opening your doors for the first time, you'll want to tune in as they share how to establish a culture today that will last far beyond tomorrow.
- 0:03:19 - Intro: Building an ICONIC Culture
- 0:07:45 - Own It
- 0:19:15 - Live It
- 0:27:28 - Love It
- 0:32:11 - ICONIC Points
To learn more about John Avola and Calvin Stovall, visit iconicpresentations.net. All The ICONIC Mindset episodes can be downloaded at theiconicmindset.com. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please subscribe to our show. Remember to select a star rating and/or write a review for The ICONIC Mindset podcast.
Connect with us!
- John Avola: @johnavola (Twitter) and LinkedIn
- Calvin Stovall: @ICONICspeaker (Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn
To leave a podcast review:
- Open your podcast app and search/navigate to The ICONIC Mindset
- Scroll to the subhead titled "Ratings & Reviews"
- Tap to give a rating and/or select "Write a Review"
- Once you've finished, select "Send" or "Save" (top-right corner)
Thank you for listening! We value our listeners and subscribers.
Don't just be, Be ICONIC!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Introduction (00:07):
Welcome to the iconic mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea, ormovement iconic.
Now here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:29):
Hey Calvin, how are you doing?
Calvin Stovall (00:36):
I'm doing great.
John, excited to be here to chatwith you today.
How are you?
John Avola (00:40):
Hey, it's great to be here.
I get more excited about thesepodcasts every single time.
I am pumped about today'sepisode.
Calvin Stovall (00:48):
I am too.
So what you've been up to?
John Avola (00:50):
I've been doing well.
I've been asked to lead adiversity and inclusion
committee, and the idea is tofocus more efforts on how we can
integrate diversity andinclusion, equity, belonging,
all into the FedEx mission.
So it's been an awesome, awesomeexperience.
I've met with so many peoplefrom different organizations.
We're pulling together under oneumbrella, which we will talk
(01:12):
more about today.
But like I said, I'm excitedabout this episode because it
ties in so nicely to some of thework I'm doing in my day job.
Calvin Stovall (01:20):
That's awesome.
I'm glad to hear that.
That's wonderful that FedEx iscontinuing the conversation and
making some changes internallyto continue to push that
initiative forward.
And it's very cool to have mycohost as a part of that
movement.
That is very iconic.
John Avola (01:37):
How about yourself?
I know you've been busy.
I've been seeing you everywhere.
Calvin Stovall (01:41):
I've been actually spending a lot of time
on other people's podcasts,spreading the word of the iconic
framework or the four P's,either way.
I did a webinar for White StoneMarketing...
John Avola (01:56):
Let's go back to the White Stone for a minute.
I had the pleasure to attendthat.
And let me just tell theaudience real quick.
I saw Calvin Stovall in action!Now, given it's a virtual
environment, it's extremely hardto keep your audience engaged.
Not for Calvin.
He had us going for an hour.
We were laughing.
(02:17):
The audience was great.
Chat rooms were blowing up and Ithink there's still
communications after two orthree weeks of some of the work
that you've done.
People are still talking aboutyou,
Calvin Stovall (02:26):
John, it's been great.
Thank you for that compliment.
Actually, one of my dearfriends, Toni Jacaruso, runs an
organization called JacarusoEnterprises, and she invited me
to come join her team meetings.
She has about a hundred plussales team members, and she said
that she would love for me tocome on there for about 20
minutes and inspire them.
(02:48):
And the cool thing about theirteam is they love sending out
thank you notes, John.
I have probably about 15 or 20thank you notes that were sent
to me, handwritten.
I'm all about the handwrittennote.
So it was absolutely phenomenal.
I've actually been a guest onone called the MOD Report and
TribalHub.
(03:08):
It has been wonderful.
Just sharing everything aboutthe iconic framework and the
work that we're doing here hasbeen wonderful.
John Avola (03:15):
Calvin, so let's jump in today.
What are we going to be talkingabout?
Calvin Stovall (03:19):
John, today, we're going to be talking about
building an iconic culture thatstands the test of time.
John Avola (03:25):
So important today.
Culture now more than ever is soimportant to continue to stay
focused on and make sure it'srelevant within your
organization.
Calvin Stovall (03:35):
Company culture is kind of hard to define
really, but it's woven intoeverything a company does.
I like to say it's the soul ofan organization, right?
It's the reason employees eitherlove or they hate their jobs, or
customers, they feel valued orignored.
And I think the last podcast wehad, we talked about the
importance of reputation.
(03:56):
This is the same thing, culture.
It takes years to build a goodculture, but it can only take a
few missteps to mess it all up.
I think that's why smart leadersfocus on developing company
culture from day one and theywork like crazy to protect it
because it's so important.
John Avola (04:12):
You have to work toward it.
It's something that is alwaysevolving.
It must be nurtured all thetime.
And you're right.
It's absolutely one of the mostimportant things a company can
have.
It starts right there with yourmission, your vision, and your
culture.
It's the establishing principleof any organization.
Calvin Stovall (04:30):
Many companies think building a culture, you
have to load up on perks andbenefits and a great company
culture is going to form, butthe great work cultures are not
built on having free snacks,flexible hours, or office happy
hours alone.
I believe a great culture is onebuilt on purpose and values.
(04:50):
Like you just mentioned, whereeverybody is rallied around or
aligned on not only what theyhave to do, but also why and how
they have to do it.
When you integrate your valuesand all of your work processes,
how you hire people, how youreward them, how you inspire,
how you promote your employees,you're naturally going to create
(05:10):
a work environment where yourteam can thrive and that's all
about culture.
John Avola (05:15):
It's most important, right?
It sustains the employeeenthusiasm, attracts talent,
improves productivity.
Calvin Stovall (05:21):
I've been fortunate enough to work for
organizations that had strongcultures.
I've worked for Hilton Worldwidefor many years.
And we both worked at St.
Jude Children's ResearchHospital, which I applaud, of
course, for the work they do,but they do a fantastic job
(05:42):
building that culture.
You know why you're there.
They do certain things to makesure you always are reminded of
why you're there.
Regardless of the role that youhave, you know you're there to
help save children's lives.
From eating in the cafeteria,that same cafeteria that they
had, even to the employeemeetings, having families come
(06:03):
up, sharing a story, all ofthose things help cultivate that
culture that St.
Jude has.
And so some of the companiesthat we're going to talk about
today, like the Disneys, theSouthwest Airlines, and
Chick-fil-A's of the world, theyunderstand how culture can drive
performance and how every singleemployee plays a role in that.
Just super critical.
John Avola (06:23):
Absolutely, Calvin.
You made such a good point therewith identifying a clear mission
that correlates directly to theculture.
St.
Jude, an exc000ellent example,No child should die in the dawn
of life.
And anyone that works thereknows it, and they're working
toward it.
Calvin Stovall (06:38):
The management guru, Peter Drucker said,
culture eats strategy forbreakfast.
Have you ever heard that?
And it does.
You can put the best strategy inplace, but if your culture isn't
strong enough to bring thatstrategy to life or if it's in
disarray, it's not going tohappen.
And because culture is an equalplayer in the game, it's not to
(07:00):
be underestimated or overlookedbecause it is just so critical
to the success of anorganization.
Without culture, you cannot beiconic.
John Avola (07:10):
So today, as we go through kind of setting up for
the audience, Calvin, do youwant to explain how we're going
to tie in the iconic frameworkwith our message today?
Calvin Stovall (07:18):
Actually, we're going to live in one of the
quadrants, which is the bepassionate one.
There is a piece in there thatsays own it, live it, love it.
And today we're going to talkabout culture and define culture
through the own it, live it,love it, parable.
(07:43):
All right, here we go.
Let's start with owning it.
When we say own it, you've gotto define what it is.
What is your culture?
Define your values, becausereally I'm sure you will agree
with me.
Culture is all about the valuesthat you instill in your
organization, and they have tobe realistic.
Can't be superficial.
We always talk about beingauthentic and those values have
(08:04):
to be authentic.
They shouldn't be somethingselected simply because they
sound good or were featured in atextbook.
Only way to avoid thatsuperficial definition of values
is to look for the values thatactually exist, I believe,
within your best employees.
And you look at them, perhapsit's their unwavering
(08:25):
positivity, and optimism, ortheir diligence and eye for
detail that makes them excel.
These are traits that you wantto look for and you select three
to five core values.
That's going to be your DNA.
That's going to be what I liketo call your blue diamonds.
Right?
That's how you could define it.
John Avola (08:39):
What's also important about defining your
culture is, don't wait.
Get out and start early.
If you're a new business or asmall business entrepreneur, and
you're just getting thingsstarted, mission, vision,
culture should go simultaneouslyupfront.
It's most important.
Don't wait.
Calvin Stovall (08:56):
Yes, absolutely.
Because if you wait, John, whathappens?
You're going to be at the riskof somebody else defining it for
you.
And that's exactly what youdon't want to do.
There's a company called Box,Inc.
I know you live in this space.
They're actually an internetcompany based in Redwood City,
California, and the companyfocuses on cloud content
(09:17):
management and file sharing forbusinesses.
They've been around, I think foraround 15 years.
They were founded in 2005.
Aaron Levie cofounded thecompany while he was in college
and it's taken different formsfrom an idea.
(09:38):
They started in a garage and nowthey're just a big, huge
company.
And he really wanted to focus onkeeping that small business
culture alive, and they've beenable to do that through every
stage of growth.
They focus on seven fundamentalvalues or core values.
Some of them are really cool.
Be candid and assume goodintent.
(09:59):
Blow our customer's minds.
And one of my personal favoriteis, make mom proud.
And I'm sure he is, right, butthose values unite an
organization.
Like you mentioned earlier,they've also got behaviors and
actions.
And he said that that's beencritical to Box's success.
John Avola (10:21):
So in a company like that, where you've established a
culture from the beginning, andhe's worked toward that, I think
we also should mention thosethat may already have an
established culture.
And the fact that there's stillan opportunity there to make
connections, alignments, andjust look through.
Ask your employees.
Get a feel for their attributes,their attitudes.
(10:41):
And if you see someinconsistencies, you've got the
opportunity to change those aswell.
Calvin Stovall (10:47):
Define it.
John Avola (10:47):
Define it, and then communicate it.
Right?
Calvin Stovall (10:51):
Yes, you've got to talk about it.
Talk about it, talk about it.
One of the things that's cool isthat you can actually integrate
it into your employee programs.
I'll give you an example.
If you're a company that saysyou value employee empowerment
and trust, you can communicateit through your programs.
Nordstrom's department stores,they talk about empowerment and
(11:14):
they're known for deliveringexceptional customer service all
the time.
And they're just given one rulein their employee handbook.
Use best judgment in allsituations.
There are no additional rules.
I know that's way to theextreme.
However, they are not focused onbeing bogged down with corporate
(11:34):
guidance and all of that jargon.
They focus on translating andmaking sure that their employees
feel like they are empowered tocreate that memorable
experience.
And it's in their handbook.
And that's great.
That's a large reason why theNordstrom way of doing business
is why it's so well-respectedout there in the retail space.
(11:55):
Ritz Carlton actually doessomething similar as well.
You probably have heard thistoo.
And of course we already knowRitz is top notch.
You might not know this though.
They're the only hotel brand towin a Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award.
Twice.
John Avola (12:11):
Wow.
Twice.
Calvin Stovall (12:13):
Twice.
And their co-founder HorstSchulze has a book called
Excellence Wins, and he actuallyexplained how he implemented a
policy empowering every employeeto spend up to$2,000 to make
guests happy.
So imagine the customer servicestories that were created as a
(12:34):
result of their policy.
I'm sure there's stuff oflegend.
They're about empowerment andcreating those memorable
experiences.
They put it in their programs soit's clear.
They're communicating it throughthe policies that they create.
And I think that's strong.
John Avola (12:48):
I think also what you're saying, Calvin, is how
important it is to create aculture where all team members
are valued, treatedrespectfully, and have equal
access to opportunities forprofessional and personal
advancement or growth.
Your team needs to feelcomfortable sharing ideas.
They need to feel comfortableopenly communicating without any
type of repercussion.
(13:11):
Even more important than thatthough, is your employees not
only want to know their voicesare being heard, but it's being
acted upon.
And I think the second half ofthat sentence seems to be left
out a lot of the time,especially with large
organizations where your voiceis one of many.
You may be thinking you're beingtreated more as a number versus
an individual.
(13:32):
And you want that opportunitynot only to speak up, but then
to actually see action beingtaken place based on the idea or
the voice of concern you mayhave had.
So showing your employees youcare, asking them often, again,
COVID pandemic, how are youfeeling?
And then, listen.
Keeping that open dialogue.,Every employee must understand
(13:54):
the culture and why it'simportant that it all leads back
to you as the leader.
Calvin Stovall (13:59):
That's very important.
I think a lot of organizations,they'll say that we're people
first, employee first.
And if you're saying you'repeople first or employee first,
you've got to make sure that youfocus on that.
My big thing is, there's nocustomer experience without
employee experience.
John Avola (14:15):
That's right.
And if you're saying thosethings, you need to live those
things.
Calvin Stovall (14:22):
Absolutely.
That's right.
You're so on point about that.
You want to make sure thatyou're hearing from your people
and make sure that whatever thisculture is that you've created,
that people believe in it andthey're living it every single
day.
So we've got, define it,communicate it, train to it,
train employees on the valuesthat build your organization.
(14:46):
And I mean, train them from thebeginning.
John Avola (14:49):
That's right.
Day one.
Calvin Stovall (14:51):
Day one from onboarding.
John Avola (14:54):
I think it might even be before onboarding,
Calvin.
I'm going to challenge that tothe interview process, right?
You walk into a new organizationfor the very first time.
You're instantly immersed in theculture the minute you walk in
the door, whether you know it ornot, and you haven't even
accepted the job.
(15:14):
The employer needs to be awareof that, that your actions
sitting across the table maydefine whether or not the
employee is even engaged withworking with you regardless of
whether they're the best hire ornot.
Calvin Stovall (15:26):
Yes.
I do agree with that, becauseyou want to make sure whoever
you're bringing in theorganization is going to embrace
those values.
You absolutely want to make sureyou ask them the right
questions.
John Avola (15:38):
You've got to ask the right questions and you've
got to make sure that peopleyou're employing or thinking of
hiring will add value to yourteam, but not only value as far
as skills and experience, butare they going to be a culture
add?
Are they going to bringdiversity, thought, leadership,
experience, background?
(15:58):
What does that entail, from anattitude over experience
perspective.
Calvin Stovall (16:04):
That's right, if you say you're going to be an
organization focused ondelivering a memorable customer
experience, you've got to makesure your team members are
trained to be able to do that.
Give them the tools and theresources so they can do that
effectively.
If you say your employees go theextra mile, share a story about
an employee who made a mistake,but put in overtime to ensure
(16:25):
the mistake was corrected.
You want to make sure that youare telling stories that help
new hires learn, and evencurrent employees learn, and
absorb and embrace your culturemore quickly.
And training is an ongoingevent.
I'm going to say that one moretime.
Training is an ongoing event.
It's not a one time occasion,ladies and gentlemen.
(16:48):
A customer service guru, ShepHyken, says training is not what
you did.
It's what you do.
You have to constantly train,just like you have to constantly
focus on culture.
You constantly have to keeptraining people.
Don't train and say, oh, they'vegot it now.
I'm good.
No, that doesn't work like that.
John Avola (17:06):
I think we need to plug Iconic Presentations in
here real quick, because we'vegot the workshops.
We've got EQ, we've got customerservice, we've got the workshops
that continually can train youremployees.
Calvin Stovall (17:20):
One of the great things, since we're talking
about training, I did a summerinternship at Disney World.
John Avola (17:26):
I actually worked there as well.
I was an Animal Kingdom Lodgeemployee.
Calvin Stovall (17:36):
What did you do at Animal Kingdom?
John Avola (17:38):
I was on the hotel side.
I was a valet and bellmanattendant.
Went into work with the Safarioutfit, the hat, but I was so
into the valet, that I would berunning as fast as I could to
get these cars pulled up for theguests.
My hat would be falling off.
I'd lose it.
(17:59):
I was that guy just trying toget your car.
Calvin Stovall (18:03):
Awesome.
And I was actually a desk clerkat the Caribbean beach resort.
So I was in the nice, cool airin the lobby.
John Avola (18:12):
I was outside.
Calvin Stovall (18:15):
But the great thing, why I brought that up,
was the training part of it.
They're so about culture.
But do you recall the trainingthat you went through?
John Avola (18:27):
Oh, absolutely.
I'll never forget it.
Calvin Stovall (18:31):
Did you go in that trailer?
It was a trailer that you werein for I don't know how many
weeks before they even let youout on the floor because they
wanted to make sure you lovedit, lived it, the whole culture.
And I thought that was just afabulous way to make sure you
were immersed in the culture ofDisney before you went out
(18:53):
there.
That was great.
John Avola (18:55):
It was awesome.
And then after you wereimmersed, they still don't let
you just go out on your own,right?
No.
You're shadowing anotheremployee for another several
weeks until you can actually runyour own spot.
There's a tremendous amount oftraining that goes into Disney.
And, while we're talking aboutDisney, I think it's also
important to call out howfocused they are on creating a
(19:16):
culture of genuine care andsafety.
You probably remember this inyour training.
If a child spills the popcorn,get them a new popcorn, right?
If they lose their balloon, grabanother balloon.
It's that genuine care.
But also that safety componentthat's so important for Disney
and all of their guests.
Calvin Stovall (19:33):
Yes.
I loved that whole internship.
So here we go.
We talked about own it, but youhave to define culture.
You have to talk about theculture and you have to train
people to deliver the cultureand what you're about.
Now we're going to move to thenext phase, which is the live
it.
John Avola (19:52):
Live it.
Every day.
Calvin Stovall (19:53):
Live it.
And when I say live it, you'vegot to walk the talk.
Let's throw out the notion ofhiring for cultural fit.
And I know that's probablycontroversial what I just said,
but when you tell a manager, Iwant you to hire for cultural
fit, what happens is it oftenencourages hiring managers to
(20:17):
seek out people with similarbackgrounds, experiences, and
ideologies, just like them.
John Avola (20:24):
Not the mini me scenario?
Calvin Stovall (20:25):
The mini me scenario.
That's what happens.
That's why they focus on hiringpeople just like them.
And you can't do that.
Instead you need to use yourvalues as your litmus test for
whether or not a candidate wouldthrive in your workplace.
And right now, particularly, youwant to make sure you have an
inclusive environment.
(20:46):
You want to make sure you'rehiring for diversity, just like
FedEx, what you guys are doing.
That's important because youdon't want to have people that
are just like you with the samethought process, same thinking
processes.
You can't continue to moveforward and be iconic if
everybody thinks the same.
John Avola (21:03):
You need a diverse and inclusive culture in order
to differentiate yourselves.
In addition to that hiringprocess, as you're looking for
that individual, what I'vealways kind of found interesting
is, who would you rather coach.
Do you want the player that hasthe grit, the determination, the
willingness to never give up?
Or do you want the player thatwas fortunately gifted with some
(21:24):
amazing abilities?
The player that has the grit,right?
The trainable, the coachable,the one that's never going to
give up.
The determined, you can put themin the fourth quarter after
playing three straight quartersand they're going to finish the
game and you know it and youtrust them.
And you're confident in that.
And that's the team we'relooking for, right?
Calvin Stovall (21:42):
Yes.
Because they're going to alwaysgive more than what's expected.
That's the whole passion thing.
There's something you can'ttrain for, John.
We talk about that.
You can't train for that.
But if you're looking for peopleto join your organization, you
want to make sure you havequestions in your applications
or even during the interview,you want to look for those soft
skills and the values that matchyour culture.
John Avola (22:04):
Because ultimately you're looking for those
cultural ambassadors, right?
You want the people who loveyour company as much as you do.
They live it, emphasizing liveit.
since we're in that category.
They live it every day.
And they also help peopleunderstand what the company
stands for.
They're your most valuableassets.
And you're going to have toreach out to them.
You're going to have to ask themwhat they like, what they don't
(22:26):
like and continue to evolve theculture based on a lot of their
perspectives.
Calvin Stovall (22:32):
It's all about demonstrating what kind of
culture you want to have.
They said when Walt Disney usedto go out with you, of course,
in the earlier years, when hewould go out and walk the
grounds, if he saw a piece ofpaper on the ground, he would
bend over, pick it up, throw itaway.
(22:53):
That's a live it right therebecause he's demonstrating what
this culture is all about.
So if the CEO or the creator ofthe world of Disney can bend
over and pick up a piece ofpaper, of course any employee
should be able to do the same.
And that's the mindset you wantto create.
John Avola (23:11):
And to add to that, not just the fact that he's
picking up the trash orsomething he's seen on the
ground and putting it in thetrash can, but he's out in the
parks meeting with people, he'sliving it.
He's walking the parks.
He's getting feedback, firsthandfeedback from the guests that
are there and he's not behindhis desk and he's not the CEO
that's never seen.
(23:32):
He's the guy that's out in frontof the audience and the
customers.
Calvin Stovall (23:36):
I've got another story, John.
When I was working for Hilton,in my earlier years, I was an
assistant general manager at anEmbassy Suites in Memphis,
Tennessee.
And we had a regional VP.
His name was Rick Schultz.
Rick was very focused oncleanliness and appearance and
(23:59):
making sure everything waspristine so when a guest came,
they were impressed.
He would walk the parking lotand look for trash.
He would be,"Stovall, I foundsome paper out here on the lot.
Make sure you have somebody comeout here and pick up this lot."
What that did was it instilledin me to make sure that lot
stayed clean.
And it also went inside of thehotel as well.
(24:21):
So the whole thing was aboutmaking sure that the hotel
looked good all the time, eventhe entrance.
That made me come up with a newphilosophy, walk the parking
lot.
That's going to be my new term.
Walk the parking lot, whichmeans as a manager or a leader,
you've got to be out there doingwhat you expect your team to do.
John Avola (24:40):
Ties in perfectly to the point we made earlier on how
culture starts with you.
It's your values and beliefsthat dictate the initial or
current corporate culture.
Calvin Stovall (24:50):
And speaking of that, since we're going to move
on to the next one, you've gotto defend it.
You've got to stand up for whatyour culture is.
This whole thing about culture,so much of it is driven top
down.
Management has an immense powerto influence work culture.
That's just the way it is.
And the more mindful you are ofyour role as a leader within
your company culture, the morepositive your influence can be.
(25:14):
Think of culture as a garden,okay?
If you want it to flourish,you'll not only need to have to
plant the right seeds, but youhave to water it, but sometimes
you'll need to prune it.
You have to see yourself as agardener.
John Avola (25:37):
When you prune it, right?
It's always better the nextseason.
Calvin Stovall (25:38):
That's what you hope.
Sometimes you're cutting out anybad weeds and nurturing the
sprouts.
I love this quote that says,since we're talking about
gardens, that"when a flowerdoesn't bloom, you fix the
environment in which it grows,not the flower." Really what
it's saying, it's going to bloomin the right soil.
(25:59):
It's going to bloom in the rightculture.
Sometimes I think we focus onthe person.
Fix the person.
Now maybe it might be the soilthat's created or the culture
that's not quite allowed thatemployee to reach their best
potential or, as we say, bloom.
If somebody is not supportingthe culture or somebody's
(26:21):
behaviors are not aligned withwho you are, you might have to
prune.
John Avola (26:25):
This is what I'm getting from that as well,
especially with the gardenanalogy is that if the culture
or the analogy, the garden, isnot seen as your priority, then
it's not going to be anyoneelse's priority.
However, if it's seen as yourpriority, then it becomes
everyone's priority, right?
Calvin Stovall (26:44):
Culture is a team sport.
You can't do it alone.
One of us is all of us andthat's the truth.
It doesn't matter what your roleis.
You want to discourage behaviorthat does not align with your
culture.
If you're allowing a badbehavior to persist, it sends
mixed messages to your team.
For example, if excellentservice or delivering memorable
(27:04):
experiences is one of your corevalues, you can't allow
employees to bad mouth customersbehind their backs.
It's not going to work.
This is a negative attitude.
It can eventually seep into theservice you provide.
It doesn't matter what role youhave.
If you see somebody or witnesssomebody doing something that's
not aligned with who you are asan organization, it is your
(27:25):
responsibility to say something.
We've got to move on to thethird one.
Love it.
John Avola (27:30):
Love it.
Calvin Stovall (27:32):
I know you probably know Salesforce.
They're known for having a greatculture.
John Avola (27:37):
Awesome culture.
We have a bunch of people wework with who work for
Salesforce.
Amazing group of people.
Calvin Stovall (27:44):
They do something that I think is pretty
cool.
They have some kind of alohaFridays, where they wear these
Hawaiian shirts.
Have you heard anything aboutthat?
John Avola (27:54):
Heard it?
I've seen it! If you're on aconference call on a Friday with
a Salesforce rep, he's doing theluau, waiting for the call to
start.
Calvin Stovall (28:05):
I think they've been doing that since like 2002.
It's evolved into a concept ofOhana, or family, that provides
for employees, customers, andstakeholders.
And you know what?
I think that is so awesome.
I did not expect you to havewitnessed it.
John Avola (28:22):
Witnessed.
I've lived it!
Calvin Stovall (28:24):
So you experienced it.
You've experienced theirculture.
That's great.
John Avola (28:31):
I'll be honest, I'm an owner of a single Hawaiian
shirt.
It makes me want to put mine on.
Calvin Stovall (28:40):
Awesome.
The CEO said that once you'reout of the garage and you have
hundreds and thousands ofemployees, the game changes.
And soon enough you won't be theone championing culture.
Employees will make it their ownand show others the way.
So I just want to recommend toour listeners, if you are a
leader within an organization,from time to time, you might
(29:04):
want to make sure you areexperiencing your company.
And what I mean by that isseeing it through the eyes of
your customer.
Call your call center, visityour business, your hotel,
restaurant, whatever, and seethings through the customer's
eyes and make sure that they aredelivering exactly what you want
(29:26):
them to deliver, what your brandpromise is, because that's
important.
So we're still in love it.
We talked about experiencing it.
Last one is you're going tocelebrate it.
Celebrate.
Make sure that you'recelebrating your team's
successes.
Even the small ones.
John Avola (29:43):
Everything.
Everything needs to becelebrated.
Taking the time to reinforceyour core values, recognition,
awards, promotions of those whoexemplify culture, team events.
You've got the virtual happyhours, virtual team activities,
and enjoying the time with yourteam.
Calvin Stovall (30:03):
You really have to view your team as your
internal customers.
Just like your externalcustomers, people just want to
be recognized and feelappreciated.
No one likes to be anassumption, John, saying, well,
I just assumed you knew how muchI appreciate you.
That's just not going tomotivate anyone to high levels
(30:23):
of performance.
Not expressing gratitude andappreciation to others is the
same as making them disappear.
And I think we, as leaders, haveto accept and acknowledge the
fact that nothing great is evergoing to be achieved unless
people feel appreciated, right?
Take care of your own like that,John.
It's infectious.
(30:44):
The whole team feels important,cared for, and valued.
That's going to bleed into thecustomer experience.
So all of these things we talkabout today...
John Avola (30:53):
It takes work, right?
Calvin Stovall (30:55):
It takes work.
This is not easy.
John Avola (30:56):
It's not easy.
It needs to be constantlynurtured, going back to the
garden.
You've got to attend to it.
Calvin.
There's one thing I did want tomention that I want to caution
our audience, too.
And that's the differencebetween loving it and smothering
it.
Did you ever watch the Tiny Toonadventures with Porky Pig, with
that's all folks, Bugs Bunny,and all those classics like
(31:20):
Sylvester?
So you don't want to be Elmyrafrom the tiny toons, right?
The little girl that smothersthis sweet little cat.
She's a little red head girl,cartoon character.
And her cat is Sylvester,Sylvester the pussy cat.
And that poor cat gets abusefrom the little girl who has
(31:43):
nothing but good intentions.
She over smothers Sylvester tothe point where he'd rather take
his chances with a bulldog thanjump into Elmyra's arms.
So I just want to throw that outthere that there is a line there
between loving your culture andoverdoing it or crossing the
line or, in Elmyra's case,smothering poor S ylvester.
Calvin Stovall (32:07):
Yes.
John, I think we've covered themall.
I think we're good.
John Avola (32:14):
Own it.
Live it.
Love it.
Calvin Stovall (32:14):
Own it.
Live it.
Love it.
Define it.
Talk about it.
Communicate it.
Training people to deliver onthose core values.
Live it.
You want to show it, demonstrateit, walk the talk, and you want
to make sure you defend it,stand up for it.
(32:37):
If people are not delivering orare not aligned with who you are
as an organization, you want toaddress it.
And last but not least, you wantto love it, experience it, and
celebrate.
John Avola (32:49):
Experience, evolve, grow, but don't smother it.
Calvin Stovall (32:54):
There you go.
Now in this environment with thepandemic and everything that's
going on, it's probably quitechallenging with people working
remotely and things of thatnature, and it is hard to
probably maintain the culturethat you initially started out
with in this currentenvironment.
But it's going to take even moreeffort on leadership's part to
(33:17):
maintain that culture andcontinue to get people to still
be connected to who they are andthat why, and keeping them
engaged and all of that.
But again, it can be done.
It just takes more time.
It's just a little bit morechallenging to do, but it can be
done.
John Avola (33:33):
It can be done.
That's why you need to havethose culture ambassadors.
Especially now, get them outthere and get them to boost
morale and get the company ashigh on the mood elevator as you
can.
Calvin Stovall (33:48):
Well, John, I think we can wrap it up.
John Avola (33:51):
I think so, too, Calvin, it's always a pleasure
meeting with you and being withyou, going through our podcasts
and our episodes.
This is episode seven.
Calvin Stovall (33:59):
Yes.
I know! I can't wait till we getto about a hundred.
John Avola (34:04):
We're going to get there.
We're going to get there.
That's right.
93 episodes to go.
Calvin Stovall (34:10):
There we go.
Well, thank you, John.
It's been a pleasure, as always,chatting with you.
Any closing words for you?
John Avola (34:16):
Just as always, you can find Calvin or myself at
iconicpresentations.net.
We've got plenty of opportunitythere for you to learn more
about our keynotes, ourworkshops.
And if you'd like to get intouch with us, we've got a
contact form as well as ourcontact information.
So with that, Calvin don't justbe, BeICONIC.
Welcome to the iconic mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea, ormovement iconic.
Now here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:29):
Hey Calvin, how are you doing?
Calvin Stovall (00:36):
I'm doing great.
John, excited to be here to chatwith you today.
How are you?
John Avola (00:40):
Hey, it's great to be here.
I get more excited about thesepodcasts every single time.
I am pumped about today'sepisode.
Calvin Stovall (00:48):
I am too.
So what you've been up to?
John Avola (00:50):
I've been doing well.
I've been asked to lead adiversity and inclusion
committee, and the idea is tofocus more efforts on how we can
integrate diversity andinclusion, equity, belonging,
all into the FedEx mission.
So it's been an awesome, awesomeexperience.
I've met with so many peoplefrom different organizations.
We're pulling together under oneumbrella, which we will talk
(01:12):
more about today.
But like I said, I'm excitedabout this episode because it
ties in so nicely to some of thework I'm doing in my day job.
Calvin Stovall (01:20):
That's awesome.
I'm glad to hear that.
That's wonderful that FedEx iscontinuing the conversation and
making some changes internallyto continue to push that
initiative forward.
And it's very cool to have mycohost as a part of that
movement.
That is very iconic.
John Avola (01:37):
How about yourself?
I know you've been busy.
I've been seeing you everywhere.
Calvin Stovall (01:41):
I've been actually spending a lot of time
on other people's podcasts,spreading the word of the iconic
framework or the four P's,either way.
I did a webinar for White StoneMarketing...
John Avola (01:56):
Let's go back to the White Stone for a minute.
I had the pleasure to attendthat.
And let me just tell theaudience real quick.
I saw Calvin Stovall in action!Now, given it's a virtual
environment, it's extremely hardto keep your audience engaged.
Not for Calvin.
He had us going for an hour.
We were laughing.
(02:17):
The audience was great.
Chat rooms were blowing up and Ithink there's still
communications after two orthree weeks of some of the work
that you've done.
People are still talking aboutyou,
Calvin Stovall (02:26):
John, it's been great.
Thank you for that compliment.
Actually, one of my dearfriends, Toni Jacaruso, runs an
organization called JacarusoEnterprises, and she invited me
to come join her team meetings.
She has about a hundred plussales team members, and she said
that she would love for me tocome on there for about 20
minutes and inspire them.
(02:48):
And the cool thing about theirteam is they love sending out
thank you notes, John.
I have probably about 15 or 20thank you notes that were sent
to me, handwritten.
I'm all about the handwrittennote.
So it was absolutely phenomenal.
I've actually been a guest onone called the MOD Report and
TribalHub.
(03:08):
It has been wonderful.
Just sharing everything aboutthe iconic framework and the
work that we're doing here hasbeen wonderful.
John Avola (03:15):
Calvin, so let's jump in today.
What are we going to be talkingabout?
Calvin Stovall (03:19):
John, today, we're going to be talking about
building an iconic culture thatstands the test of time.
John Avola (03:25):
So important today.
Culture now more than ever is soimportant to continue to stay
focused on and make sure it'srelevant within your
organization.
Calvin Stovall (03:35):
Company culture is kind of hard to define
really, but it's woven intoeverything a company does.
I like to say it's the soul ofan organization, right?
It's the reason employees eitherlove or they hate their jobs, or
customers, they feel valued orignored.
And I think the last podcast wehad, we talked about the
importance of reputation.
(03:56):
This is the same thing, culture.
It takes years to build a goodculture, but it can only take a
few missteps to mess it all up.
I think that's why smart leadersfocus on developing company
culture from day one and theywork like crazy to protect it
because it's so important.
John Avola (04:12):
You have to work toward it.
It's something that is alwaysevolving.
It must be nurtured all thetime.
And you're right.
It's absolutely one of the mostimportant things a company can
have.
It starts right there with yourmission, your vision, and your
culture.
It's the establishing principleof any organization.
Calvin Stovall (04:30):
Many companies think building a culture, you
have to load up on perks andbenefits and a great company
culture is going to form, butthe great work cultures are not
built on having free snacks,flexible hours, or office happy
hours alone.
I believe a great culture is onebuilt on purpose and values.
(04:50):
Like you just mentioned, whereeverybody is rallied around or
aligned on not only what theyhave to do, but also why and how
they have to do it.
When you integrate your valuesand all of your work processes,
how you hire people, how youreward them, how you inspire,
how you promote your employees,you're naturally going to create
(05:10):
a work environment where yourteam can thrive and that's all
about culture.
John Avola (05:15):
It's most important, right?
It sustains the employeeenthusiasm, attracts talent,
improves productivity.
Calvin Stovall (05:21):
I've been fortunate enough to work for
organizations that had strongcultures.
I've worked for Hilton Worldwidefor many years.
And we both worked at St.
Jude Children's ResearchHospital, which I applaud, of
course, for the work they do,but they do a fantastic job
(05:42):
building that culture.
You know why you're there.
They do certain things to makesure you always are reminded of
why you're there.
Regardless of the role that youhave, you know you're there to
help save children's lives.
From eating in the cafeteria,that same cafeteria that they
had, even to the employeemeetings, having families come
(06:03):
up, sharing a story, all ofthose things help cultivate that
culture that St.
Jude has.
And so some of the companiesthat we're going to talk about
today, like the Disneys, theSouthwest Airlines, and
Chick-fil-A's of the world, theyunderstand how culture can drive
performance and how every singleemployee plays a role in that.
Just super critical.
John Avola (06:23):
Absolutely, Calvin.
You made such a good point therewith identifying a clear mission
that correlates directly to theculture.
St.
Jude, an exc000ellent example,No child should die in the dawn
of life.
And anyone that works thereknows it, and they're working
toward it.
Calvin Stovall (06:38):
The management guru, Peter Drucker said,
culture eats strategy forbreakfast.
Have you ever heard that?
And it does.
You can put the best strategy inplace, but if your culture isn't
strong enough to bring thatstrategy to life or if it's in
disarray, it's not going tohappen.
And because culture is an equalplayer in the game, it's not to
(07:00):
be underestimated or overlookedbecause it is just so critical
to the success of anorganization.
Without culture, you cannot beiconic.
John Avola (07:10):
So today, as we go through kind of setting up for
the audience, Calvin, do youwant to explain how we're going
to tie in the iconic frameworkwith our message today?
Calvin Stovall (07:18):
Actually, we're going to live in one of the
quadrants, which is the bepassionate one.
There is a piece in there thatsays own it, live it, love it.
And today we're going to talkabout culture and define culture
through the own it, live it,love it, parable.
(07:43):
All right, here we go.
Let's start with owning it.
When we say own it, you've gotto define what it is.
What is your culture?
Define your values, becausereally I'm sure you will agree
with me.
Culture is all about the valuesthat you instill in your
organization, and they have tobe realistic.
Can't be superficial.
We always talk about beingauthentic and those values have
(08:04):
to be authentic.
They shouldn't be somethingselected simply because they
sound good or were featured in atextbook.
Only way to avoid thatsuperficial definition of values
is to look for the values thatactually exist, I believe,
within your best employees.
And you look at them, perhapsit's their unwavering
(08:25):
positivity, and optimism, ortheir diligence and eye for
detail that makes them excel.
These are traits that you wantto look for and you select three
to five core values.
That's going to be your DNA.
That's going to be what I liketo call your blue diamonds.
Right?
That's how you could define it.
John Avola (08:39):
What's also important about defining your
culture is, don't wait.
Get out and start early.
If you're a new business or asmall business entrepreneur, and
you're just getting thingsstarted, mission, vision,
culture should go simultaneouslyupfront.
It's most important.
Don't wait.
Calvin Stovall (08:56):
Yes, absolutely.
Because if you wait, John, whathappens?
You're going to be at the riskof somebody else defining it for
you.
And that's exactly what youdon't want to do.
There's a company called Box,Inc.
I know you live in this space.
They're actually an internetcompany based in Redwood City,
California, and the companyfocuses on cloud content
(09:17):
management and file sharing forbusinesses.
They've been around, I think foraround 15 years.
They were founded in 2005.
Aaron Levie cofounded thecompany while he was in college
and it's taken different formsfrom an idea.
(09:38):
They started in a garage and nowthey're just a big, huge
company.
And he really wanted to focus onkeeping that small business
culture alive, and they've beenable to do that through every
stage of growth.
They focus on seven fundamentalvalues or core values.
Some of them are really cool.
Be candid and assume goodintent.
(09:59):
Blow our customer's minds.
And one of my personal favoriteis, make mom proud.
And I'm sure he is, right, butthose values unite an
organization.
Like you mentioned earlier,they've also got behaviors and
actions.
And he said that that's beencritical to Box's success.
John Avola (10:21):
So in a company like that, where you've established a
culture from the beginning, andhe's worked toward that, I think
we also should mention thosethat may already have an
established culture.
And the fact that there's stillan opportunity there to make
connections, alignments, andjust look through.
Ask your employees.
Get a feel for their attributes,their attitudes.
(10:41):
And if you see someinconsistencies, you've got the
opportunity to change those aswell.
Calvin Stovall (10:47):
Define it.
John Avola (10:47):
Define it, and then communicate it.
Right?
Calvin Stovall (10:51):
Yes, you've got to talk about it.
Talk about it, talk about it.
One of the things that's cool isthat you can actually integrate
it into your employee programs.
I'll give you an example.
If you're a company that saysyou value employee empowerment
and trust, you can communicateit through your programs.
Nordstrom's department stores,they talk about empowerment and
(11:14):
they're known for deliveringexceptional customer service all
the time.
And they're just given one rulein their employee handbook.
Use best judgment in allsituations.
There are no additional rules.
I know that's way to theextreme.
However, they are not focused onbeing bogged down with corporate
(11:34):
guidance and all of that jargon.
They focus on translating andmaking sure that their employees
feel like they are empowered tocreate that memorable
experience.
And it's in their handbook.
And that's great.
That's a large reason why theNordstrom way of doing business
is why it's so well-respectedout there in the retail space.
(11:55):
Ritz Carlton actually doessomething similar as well.
You probably have heard thistoo.
And of course we already knowRitz is top notch.
You might not know this though.
They're the only hotel brand towin a Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award.
Twice.
John Avola (12:11):
Wow.
Twice.
Calvin Stovall (12:13):
Twice.
And their co-founder HorstSchulze has a book called
Excellence Wins, and he actuallyexplained how he implemented a
policy empowering every employeeto spend up to$2,000 to make
guests happy.
So imagine the customer servicestories that were created as a
(12:34):
result of their policy.
I'm sure there's stuff oflegend.
They're about empowerment andcreating those memorable
experiences.
They put it in their programs soit's clear.
They're communicating it throughthe policies that they create.
And I think that's strong.
John Avola (12:48):
I think also what you're saying, Calvin, is how
important it is to create aculture where all team members
are valued, treatedrespectfully, and have equal
access to opportunities forprofessional and personal
advancement or growth.
Your team needs to feelcomfortable sharing ideas.
They need to feel comfortableopenly communicating without any
type of repercussion.
(13:11):
Even more important than thatthough, is your employees not
only want to know their voicesare being heard, but it's being
acted upon.
And I think the second half ofthat sentence seems to be left
out a lot of the time,especially with large
organizations where your voiceis one of many.
You may be thinking you're beingtreated more as a number versus
an individual.
(13:32):
And you want that opportunitynot only to speak up, but then
to actually see action beingtaken place based on the idea or
the voice of concern you mayhave had.
So showing your employees youcare, asking them often, again,
COVID pandemic, how are youfeeling?
And then, listen.
Keeping that open dialogue.,Every employee must understand
(13:54):
the culture and why it'simportant that it all leads back
to you as the leader.
Calvin Stovall (13:59):
That's very important.
I think a lot of organizations,they'll say that we're people
first, employee first.
And if you're saying you'repeople first or employee first,
you've got to make sure that youfocus on that.
My big thing is, there's nocustomer experience without
employee experience.
John Avola (14:15):
That's right.
And if you're saying thosethings, you need to live those
things.
Calvin Stovall (14:22):
Absolutely.
That's right.
You're so on point about that.
You want to make sure thatyou're hearing from your people
and make sure that whatever thisculture is that you've created,
that people believe in it andthey're living it every single
day.
So we've got, define it,communicate it, train to it,
train employees on the valuesthat build your organization.
(14:46):
And I mean, train them from thebeginning.
John Avola (14:49):
That's right.
Day one.
Calvin Stovall (14:51):
Day one from onboarding.
John Avola (14:54):
I think it might even be before onboarding,
Calvin.
I'm going to challenge that tothe interview process, right?
You walk into a new organizationfor the very first time.
You're instantly immersed in theculture the minute you walk in
the door, whether you know it ornot, and you haven't even
accepted the job.
(15:14):
The employer needs to be awareof that, that your actions
sitting across the table maydefine whether or not the
employee is even engaged withworking with you regardless of
whether they're the best hire ornot.
Calvin Stovall (15:26):
Yes.
I do agree with that, becauseyou want to make sure whoever
you're bringing in theorganization is going to embrace
those values.
You absolutely want to make sureyou ask them the right
questions.
John Avola (15:38):
You've got to ask the right questions and you've
got to make sure that peopleyou're employing or thinking of
hiring will add value to yourteam, but not only value as far
as skills and experience, butare they going to be a culture
add?
Are they going to bringdiversity, thought, leadership,
experience, background?
(15:58):
What does that entail, from anattitude over experience
perspective.
Calvin Stovall (16:04):
That's right, if you say you're going to be an
organization focused ondelivering a memorable customer
experience, you've got to makesure your team members are
trained to be able to do that.
Give them the tools and theresources so they can do that
effectively.
If you say your employees go theextra mile, share a story about
an employee who made a mistake,but put in overtime to ensure
(16:25):
the mistake was corrected.
You want to make sure that youare telling stories that help
new hires learn, and evencurrent employees learn, and
absorb and embrace your culturemore quickly.
And training is an ongoingevent.
I'm going to say that one moretime.
Training is an ongoing event.
It's not a one time occasion,ladies and gentlemen.
(16:48):
A customer service guru, ShepHyken, says training is not what
you did.
It's what you do.
You have to constantly train,just like you have to constantly
focus on culture.
You constantly have to keeptraining people.
Don't train and say, oh, they'vegot it now.
I'm good.
No, that doesn't work like that.
John Avola (17:06):
I think we need to plug Iconic Presentations in
here real quick, because we'vegot the workshops.
We've got EQ, we've got customerservice, we've got the workshops
that continually can train youremployees.
Calvin Stovall (17:20):
One of the great things, since we're talking
about training, I did a summerinternship at Disney World.
John Avola (17:26):
I actually worked there as well.
I was an Animal Kingdom Lodgeemployee.
Calvin Stovall (17:36):
What did you do at Animal Kingdom?
John Avola (17:38):
I was on the hotel side.
I was a valet and bellmanattendant.
Went into work with the Safarioutfit, the hat, but I was so
into the valet, that I would berunning as fast as I could to
get these cars pulled up for theguests.
My hat would be falling off.
I'd lose it.
(17:59):
I was that guy just trying toget your car.
Calvin Stovall (18:03):
Awesome.
And I was actually a desk clerkat the Caribbean beach resort.
So I was in the nice, cool airin the lobby.
John Avola (18:12):
I was outside.
Calvin Stovall (18:15):
But the great thing, why I brought that up,
was the training part of it.
They're so about culture.
But do you recall the trainingthat you went through?
John Avola (18:27):
Oh, absolutely.
I'll never forget it.
Calvin Stovall (18:31):
Did you go in that trailer?
It was a trailer that you werein for I don't know how many
weeks before they even let youout on the floor because they
wanted to make sure you lovedit, lived it, the whole culture.
And I thought that was just afabulous way to make sure you
were immersed in the culture ofDisney before you went out
(18:53):
there.
That was great.
John Avola (18:55):
It was awesome.
And then after you wereimmersed, they still don't let
you just go out on your own,right?
No.
You're shadowing anotheremployee for another several
weeks until you can actually runyour own spot.
There's a tremendous amount oftraining that goes into Disney.
And, while we're talking aboutDisney, I think it's also
important to call out howfocused they are on creating a
(19:16):
culture of genuine care andsafety.
You probably remember this inyour training.
If a child spills the popcorn,get them a new popcorn, right?
If they lose their balloon, grabanother balloon.
It's that genuine care.
But also that safety componentthat's so important for Disney
and all of their guests.
Calvin Stovall (19:33):
Yes.
I loved that whole internship.
So here we go.
We talked about own it, but youhave to define culture.
You have to talk about theculture and you have to train
people to deliver the cultureand what you're about.
Now we're going to move to thenext phase, which is the live
it.
John Avola (19:52):
Live it.
Every day.
Calvin Stovall (19:53):
Live it.
And when I say live it, you'vegot to walk the talk.
Let's throw out the notion ofhiring for cultural fit.
And I know that's probablycontroversial what I just said,
but when you tell a manager, Iwant you to hire for cultural
fit, what happens is it oftenencourages hiring managers to
(20:17):
seek out people with similarbackgrounds, experiences, and
ideologies, just like them.
John Avola (20:24):
Not the mini me scenario?
Calvin Stovall (20:25):
The mini me scenario.
That's what happens.
That's why they focus on hiringpeople just like them.
And you can't do that.
Instead you need to use yourvalues as your litmus test for
whether or not a candidate wouldthrive in your workplace.
And right now, particularly, youwant to make sure you have an
inclusive environment.
(20:46):
You want to make sure you'rehiring for diversity, just like
FedEx, what you guys are doing.
That's important because youdon't want to have people that
are just like you with the samethought process, same thinking
processes.
You can't continue to moveforward and be iconic if
everybody thinks the same.
John Avola (21:03):
You need a diverse and inclusive culture in order
to differentiate yourselves.
In addition to that hiringprocess, as you're looking for
that individual, what I'vealways kind of found interesting
is, who would you rather coach.
Do you want the player that hasthe grit, the determination, the
willingness to never give up?
Or do you want the player thatwas fortunately gifted with some
(21:24):
amazing abilities?
The player that has the grit,right?
The trainable, the coachable,the one that's never going to
give up.
The determined, you can put themin the fourth quarter after
playing three straight quartersand they're going to finish the
game and you know it and youtrust them.
And you're confident in that.
And that's the team we'relooking for, right?
Calvin Stovall (21:42):
Yes.
Because they're going to alwaysgive more than what's expected.
That's the whole passion thing.
There's something you can'ttrain for, John.
We talk about that.
You can't train for that.
But if you're looking for peopleto join your organization, you
want to make sure you havequestions in your applications
or even during the interview,you want to look for those soft
skills and the values that matchyour culture.
John Avola (22:04):
Because ultimately you're looking for those
cultural ambassadors, right?
You want the people who loveyour company as much as you do.
They live it, emphasizing liveit.
since we're in that category.
They live it every day.
And they also help peopleunderstand what the company
stands for.
They're your most valuableassets.
And you're going to have toreach out to them.
You're going to have to ask themwhat they like, what they don't
(22:26):
like and continue to evolve theculture based on a lot of their
perspectives.
Calvin Stovall (22:32):
It's all about demonstrating what kind of
culture you want to have.
They said when Walt Disney usedto go out with you, of course,
in the earlier years, when hewould go out and walk the
grounds, if he saw a piece ofpaper on the ground, he would
bend over, pick it up, throw itaway.
(22:53):
That's a live it right therebecause he's demonstrating what
this culture is all about.
So if the CEO or the creator ofthe world of Disney can bend
over and pick up a piece ofpaper, of course any employee
should be able to do the same.
And that's the mindset you wantto create.
John Avola (23:11):
And to add to that, not just the fact that he's
picking up the trash orsomething he's seen on the
ground and putting it in thetrash can, but he's out in the
parks meeting with people, he'sliving it.
He's walking the parks.
He's getting feedback, firsthandfeedback from the guests that
are there and he's not behindhis desk and he's not the CEO
that's never seen.
(23:32):
He's the guy that's out in frontof the audience and the
customers.
Calvin Stovall (23:36):
I've got another story, John.
When I was working for Hilton,in my earlier years, I was an
assistant general manager at anEmbassy Suites in Memphis,
Tennessee.
And we had a regional VP.
His name was Rick Schultz.
Rick was very focused oncleanliness and appearance and
(23:59):
making sure everything waspristine so when a guest came,
they were impressed.
He would walk the parking lotand look for trash.
He would be,"Stovall, I foundsome paper out here on the lot.
Make sure you have somebody comeout here and pick up this lot."
What that did was it instilledin me to make sure that lot
stayed clean.
And it also went inside of thehotel as well.
(24:21):
So the whole thing was aboutmaking sure that the hotel
looked good all the time, eventhe entrance.
That made me come up with a newphilosophy, walk the parking
lot.
That's going to be my new term.
Walk the parking lot, whichmeans as a manager or a leader,
you've got to be out there doingwhat you expect your team to do.
John Avola (24:40):
Ties in perfectly to the point we made earlier on how
culture starts with you.
It's your values and beliefsthat dictate the initial or
current corporate culture.
Calvin Stovall (24:50):
And speaking of that, since we're going to move
on to the next one, you've gotto defend it.
You've got to stand up for whatyour culture is.
This whole thing about culture,so much of it is driven top
down.
Management has an immense powerto influence work culture.
That's just the way it is.
And the more mindful you are ofyour role as a leader within
your company culture, the morepositive your influence can be.
(25:14):
Think of culture as a garden,okay?
If you want it to flourish,you'll not only need to have to
plant the right seeds, but youhave to water it, but sometimes
you'll need to prune it.
You have to see yourself as agardener.
John Avola (25:37):
When you prune it, right?
It's always better the nextseason.
Calvin Stovall (25:38):
That's what you hope.
Sometimes you're cutting out anybad weeds and nurturing the
sprouts.
I love this quote that says,since we're talking about
gardens, that"when a flowerdoesn't bloom, you fix the
environment in which it grows,not the flower." Really what
it's saying, it's going to bloomin the right soil.
(25:59):
It's going to bloom in the rightculture.
Sometimes I think we focus onthe person.
Fix the person.
Now maybe it might be the soilthat's created or the culture
that's not quite allowed thatemployee to reach their best
potential or, as we say, bloom.
If somebody is not supportingthe culture or somebody's
(26:21):
behaviors are not aligned withwho you are, you might have to
prune.
John Avola (26:25):
This is what I'm getting from that as well,
especially with the gardenanalogy is that if the culture
or the analogy, the garden, isnot seen as your priority, then
it's not going to be anyoneelse's priority.
However, if it's seen as yourpriority, then it becomes
everyone's priority, right?
Calvin Stovall (26:44):
Culture is a team sport.
You can't do it alone.
One of us is all of us andthat's the truth.
It doesn't matter what your roleis.
You want to discourage behaviorthat does not align with your
culture.
If you're allowing a badbehavior to persist, it sends
mixed messages to your team.
For example, if excellentservice or delivering memorable
(27:04):
experiences is one of your corevalues, you can't allow
employees to bad mouth customersbehind their backs.
It's not going to work.
This is a negative attitude.
It can eventually seep into theservice you provide.
It doesn't matter what role youhave.
If you see somebody or witnesssomebody doing something that's
not aligned with who you are asan organization, it is your
(27:25):
responsibility to say something.
We've got to move on to thethird one.
Love it.
John Avola (27:30):
Love it.
Calvin Stovall (27:32):
I know you probably know Salesforce.
They're known for having a greatculture.
John Avola (27:37):
Awesome culture.
We have a bunch of people wework with who work for
Salesforce.
Amazing group of people.
Calvin Stovall (27:44):
They do something that I think is pretty
cool.
They have some kind of alohaFridays, where they wear these
Hawaiian shirts.
Have you heard anything aboutthat?
John Avola (27:54):
Heard it?
I've seen it! If you're on aconference call on a Friday with
a Salesforce rep, he's doing theluau, waiting for the call to
start.
Calvin Stovall (28:05):
I think they've been doing that since like 2002.
It's evolved into a concept ofOhana, or family, that provides
for employees, customers, andstakeholders.
And you know what?
I think that is so awesome.
I did not expect you to havewitnessed it.
John Avola (28:22):
Witnessed.
I've lived it!
Calvin Stovall (28:24):
So you experienced it.
You've experienced theirculture.
That's great.
John Avola (28:31):
I'll be honest, I'm an owner of a single Hawaiian
shirt.
It makes me want to put mine on.
Calvin Stovall (28:40):
Awesome.
The CEO said that once you'reout of the garage and you have
hundreds and thousands ofemployees, the game changes.
And soon enough you won't be theone championing culture.
Employees will make it their ownand show others the way.
So I just want to recommend toour listeners, if you are a
leader within an organization,from time to time, you might
(29:04):
want to make sure you areexperiencing your company.
And what I mean by that isseeing it through the eyes of
your customer.
Call your call center, visityour business, your hotel,
restaurant, whatever, and seethings through the customer's
eyes and make sure that they aredelivering exactly what you want
(29:26):
them to deliver, what your brandpromise is, because that's
important.
So we're still in love it.
We talked about experiencing it.
Last one is you're going tocelebrate it.
Celebrate.
Make sure that you'recelebrating your team's
successes.
Even the small ones.
John Avola (29:43):
Everything.
Everything needs to becelebrated.
Taking the time to reinforceyour core values, recognition,
awards, promotions of those whoexemplify culture, team events.
You've got the virtual happyhours, virtual team activities,
and enjoying the time with yourteam.
Calvin Stovall (30:03):
You really have to view your team as your
internal customers.
Just like your externalcustomers, people just want to
be recognized and feelappreciated.
No one likes to be anassumption, John, saying, well,
I just assumed you knew how muchI appreciate you.
That's just not going tomotivate anyone to high levels
(30:23):
of performance.
Not expressing gratitude andappreciation to others is the
same as making them disappear.
And I think we, as leaders, haveto accept and acknowledge the
fact that nothing great is evergoing to be achieved unless
people feel appreciated, right?
Take care of your own like that,John.
It's infectious.
(30:44):
The whole team feels important,cared for, and valued.
That's going to bleed into thecustomer experience.
So all of these things we talkabout today...
John Avola (30:53):
It takes work, right?
Calvin Stovall (30:55):
It takes work.
This is not easy.
John Avola (30:56):
It's not easy.
It needs to be constantlynurtured, going back to the
garden.
You've got to attend to it.
Calvin.
There's one thing I did want tomention that I want to caution
our audience, too.
And that's the differencebetween loving it and smothering
it.
Did you ever watch the Tiny Toonadventures with Porky Pig, with
that's all folks, Bugs Bunny,and all those classics like
(31:20):
Sylvester?
So you don't want to be Elmyrafrom the tiny toons, right?
The little girl that smothersthis sweet little cat.
She's a little red head girl,cartoon character.
And her cat is Sylvester,Sylvester the pussy cat.
And that poor cat gets abusefrom the little girl who has
(31:43):
nothing but good intentions.
She over smothers Sylvester tothe point where he'd rather take
his chances with a bulldog thanjump into Elmyra's arms.
So I just want to throw that outthere that there is a line there
between loving your culture andoverdoing it or crossing the
line or, in Elmyra's case,smothering poor S ylvester.
Calvin Stovall (32:07):
Yes.
John, I think we've covered themall.
I think we're good.
John Avola (32:14):
Own it.
Live it.
Love it.
Calvin Stovall (32:14):
Own it.
Live it.
Love it.
Define it.
Talk about it.
Communicate it.
Training people to deliver onthose core values.
Live it.
You want to show it, demonstrateit, walk the talk, and you want
to make sure you defend it,stand up for it.
(32:37):
If people are not delivering orare not aligned with who you are
as an organization, you want toaddress it.
And last but not least, you wantto love it, experience it, and
celebrate.
John Avola (32:49):
Experience, evolve, grow, but don't smother it.
Calvin Stovall (32:54):
There you go.
Now in this environment with thepandemic and everything that's
going on, it's probably quitechallenging with people working
remotely and things of thatnature, and it is hard to
probably maintain the culturethat you initially started out
with in this currentenvironment.
But it's going to take even moreeffort on leadership's part to
(33:17):
maintain that culture andcontinue to get people to still
be connected to who they are andthat why, and keeping them
engaged and all of that.
But again, it can be done.
It just takes more time.
It's just a little bit morechallenging to do, but it can be
done.
John Avola (33:33):
It can be done.
That's why you need to havethose culture ambassadors.
Especially now, get them outthere and get them to boost
morale and get the company ashigh on the mood elevator as you
can.
Calvin Stovall (33:48):
Well, John, I think we can wrap it up.
John Avola (33:51):
I think so, too, Calvin, it's always a pleasure
meeting with you and being withyou, going through our podcasts
and our episodes.
This is episode seven.
Calvin Stovall (33:59):
Yes.
I know! I can't wait till we getto about a hundred.
John Avola (34:04):
We're going to get there.
We're going to get there.
That's right.
93 episodes to go.
Calvin Stovall (34:10):
There we go.
Well, thank you, John.
It's been a pleasure, as always,chatting with you.
Any closing words for you?
John Avola (34:16):
Just as always, you can find Calvin or myself at
iconicpresentations.net.
We've got plenty of opportunitythere for you to learn more
about our keynotes, ourworkshops.
And if you'd like to get intouch with us, we've got a
contact form as well as ourcontact information.
So with that, Calvin don't justbe, BeICONIC.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.